Chipotle Mexican Grill informed shareholders that it would reduce the size of the board by three directors when it announced its founder was stepping away from the company. In what situations does a reduced board make sense? It depends on the complexity of the business — but oftentimes, slimmer works better.

In this episode of Looking Ahead, Al Dominick is joined by Lindsey Androski, Vice President & Head of Strategic Partnering at Roivant Sciences. They discuss why and how companies focus on the value, and not the volume, of information when adopting a data-driven approach to decision making.

The CBOE sought to prevent high frequency traders from profiting off of stale prices by adding a 4-milisecond delay in certain trades within an exchange. The SEC denied the request, potentially slowing the push for similar initiatives.

Investors are asking more about a company’s workforce, and companies may be forced to tell them. Last fall, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed several changes to disclosure requirements for public companies, among them a provision to enhance disclosure about “human capital.” The rule has not been finalized.

Earlier this year, automotive giant Volkswagen found itself facing a regulatory investigation for the results of their diesel-emissions tests. For some, the ensuing negative headlines would have broken the company. Not so for VW, which has embraced the opportunity to learn from the experience, protect shareholder value and position itself for even better days. Recorded at DirectorCorps’ Avoiding the Corporate Crisis Conference on December 3, 2019 at the Nasdaq MarketSite in NYC.

A new disclosure requirement that’s described as the most significant change to the auditor’s report in 70 years is making a difference in the internal controls at large companies, although those looking for scandal so far have been disappointed.